SOUNDTRACK: RE:-Alms [CST032] (2004).
Re: creates soundtracks for a dystopian world. Where metal and computers are integrated with nature. So a track like “Golem” which opens this album starts with what sounds like a golem walking–trudging desolate feet. Then there’s big bells that echo throughout. The multi-note music that anchors the song is eerie and enticing.
This album does not use the same “gimmick” as the previous one, where song titles were all words that should have the re prefix. So song two is called “Orientalism As A Humanism.” It runs nearly 9 minutes and opens with what sounds like an alarm but may actually be mechanical sounds (a saw perhaps?). But it is softened to make it a very interesting sound that swirls around half of your head. Meanwhile the other half of the song has a totally different sound. By the 5 minute mark it is primarily drums and noises. Until that all drops off for a bit of static. Some loud percussive noises fill the song until it turns into a fast paced drums beat which lasts for just a few seconds before the songs ends.
‘On Golden Pond” opens with more footsteps. Then there some squeaks and a splash and a voice saying “splash it.” And later a voice saying “You should see our house” These recordings are so clean, I have to wonder what they are from. “Radio Free Ramadi” opens with near silence. After about a minute of gradually increasing sounds, the big noisy electronics come in. It is a big noisy blast of noise like the first album. “Lasers, Tracers, Radar Drones” opens with gentle chimes and slowly melds different noises and electronics. “Pawk” opens with an acoustic piano–a nice relief from the electronics. It’s a simple melody, stark and bare, and is interrupted by what sounds like people making seagull sounds. The disc ends with “Home Security” a song with a huge burst of noise and electronic malfunctions.
Once again, this album is not for the timid or those who dislike dissonance, but if you’re open to experimentation, Re: proves to be a very interesting band.
[READ: May 13, 2014] The Wawa Way
For my birthday, I jokingly told my family that I wanted a Wawa Sizzli for breakfast, a Wawa Shorti for lunch, a Wawa Bowl for dinner and a Wawa chai latte for dessert. We didn’t have any of that (although I did get some Wawa chocolate milk before work), but suffice it to say I love my Wawas (most people have one, but I have two—the one by my house and the one by my work).
I grew up in North jersey where 7-11 was the king of convenience. I loved the 7-11, it was handy and had all kinds of junk food available. But once I moved to Central Jersey, I discovered the amazingness of Wawa. (In truth I knew about Wawa from trips to South Jersey, but it was more of a novelty then).
What makes Wawa so superior? Most people would say their coffee. I don’t drink coffee, so I can’t address that. But what I do like is their stuffed pretzels, their hoagies (and their touch screen for ordering), their milk and chocolate milk, their hot (non coffee) drinks and their newish cold drinks—all made to order. I also like their brightness and their cleanliness. And, when I go to the third Wawa (which is out of the way but close), I think their gas prices are fair and the people who work them are always nice. And, more impressively, they were open during Hurricane Sandy when so many other places were closed.
So when the family saw that a book about Wawa was coming out, it seemed an obvious choice for my birthday (purchased, I hope, at a Wawa for ½ off the cover price).
I was pretty excited to read about the history of Wawa—I mean, I like them, but what makes them stand out? Well, this book told me. Over and over.
This book includes comments and letters from employees (called associates) and customers. It includes a breezy history of Wawa and the pre-Wawa-as-we-know-it. It includes business secrets about what makes them stand out. And it includes how much they care about the customer. And also how much they care about the customer. And also, how much they care about the customer. Yes, there is a lot of repetition in the book. If there was an index, I think even the authors would be shocked at how many times certain phrases are repeated.
But let’s not bemoan the less than stellar writing of a CEO and move on to what makes the book (and company) pretty darn amazing.
Okay, so Wawa was founded in Wawa, PA. And Wawa is a native American word for a Canada goose (hence the name and the logo). The Wood family liked the name for its uniqueness and began using it long before the family considered having food markets.
The Wood Family had many businesses dating back to the 1700s in Pennsylvania, including farming, a furnace/foundry (they made a lot of steel that is still in use today), as well as textile. But it wasn’t until 1902 that the Wawa Dairy Farms business was up and running. They specialized in certified raw milk and, as the book says, their milkmen were so trusted that they were given keys to many people’s houses. But as people moved to the suburbs, deliveries became harder to manage. So in 1964 Grahame Wood opened the first Wawa Dairy store in Folsom, PA. (Store #1). And there’s some amusing anecdotes of that first store as well.
By 1969 they had opened 53 stores and were experimenting with selling foods like meatloaf and fried chicken. In 1974 the added the goose and the familiar Wawa colors to the logo (and had 131 stores). In 1982 they separated the deli from the cashier which streamlined ordering and efficiency (and if you ever go to a real deli you know is the major major time consumer). In 1992 they introduced the Shorti and had 500 stores. In 1996 they opened their first store that sold fuel (and introduced the Sizzli). In 2002 they brought in touch screen ordering. And now in 2014 they are 50 years old. And have about 650 stores.
But the book is not just a timeline of their achievements, it is also a promotion of their business philosophy. As a librarian, I have many similar beliefs in a business model, but it is surprising to see them in a corporation, especially one known for convenience. Their six core values are: Value People, Delight Customers, Embrace Change, So Things Right, Do the Right Thing, Have a Passion for Winning.
Many of these values are showcased in their phrase: Servant leadership—with managers and CEOs traveling to different stores all the time (even on Christmas) to help out, to encourage new associates and to leave personalized note for people who might need assistance.
So far so good–a store that has a good business model and does things well. And I must say that despite the way this sounded at times like an employee handbook, I find their values and the whole Wawa way to be a breath of fresh air and an admirable business model.
But what made me really impressed was the details of this work.
Some things seem hard to believe though. Like the man who was going to commit suicide until a Wawa cashier was nice to him, or that people got married in a Wawa because that’s where they met, or even that Wawa believes that they are the only place where people hold doors open for each other–it is utterly true that people always hold open the door at the Wawa, but they do it elsewhere too, don’t they? Plus, is it possible that an associate who is just the nicest guy in the world is named Don Toogood?
And yet could they get away with lying? Especially when so many things are verifiable. Like that any Red Cross worker gets free food (for them and the people they are trying to help) whenever there is an emergency. That Wawa provides free coffee and pastries to parents at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Or that employees not only have a large percentage share of ownership of the company but are also given all kinds of nice benefits for working there. Like Wawa University, in which associates can earn an accredited B.A. or B.S. (with teachers from local Philadelphia Universities coming to the Wawa campus to teach them).
That impressed me, but what impressed me more was that they value creative thinking from any employee. They even have prizes for people with new clever ideas. And speaking of prizes. The associate who most follows their Six Values wins the Dream Maker prize. In 2008, the winner was a man who was a huge Philadelphia Flyers fan. As part of his prize he won the typical Flyers’ fan package: jersey, hat, etc. But he also win season passes to the Flyers, including a night when he got to sit on the bench during warm up and to ride the Zamboni. And he got to meet his personal hero Bernie Parent who awarded him his prizes. Holy cow.
And then there’s the President’s Club when the Top 20% of General and Area managers are chosen for a three-day all expense paid vacation (one year they went to Jamaica). Everything that this store does amazes me.=, including the lengths they will go to for their customers and associates.
So overall, I didn’t love this book—it read a lot like an employee handbook and there was a lot of repetition of their core values and such—seriously, the way that phrases and even stories keep cropping up several chapters after they were explicated, you’d think they were paid by the page. But regardless of that, this book made me want to work for Wawa. There have been lots of places where you say, ooh, Google would be cool to work for, but you have to be a genius to get in. With Wawa they don’t epect geniuses (hence Wawa University), they expect people who care about others and are willing to do what they can for their fellow associates and their customers. I always thought that a convenience store would be the worst place ever to work for. And yet, I would totally work for Wawa. I just wish Wawa, PA wasn’t so far from me.
The book made me love Wawa even more. I’m not going to get a tattoo of Wawa (as one customer has done), nor am I going to travel to Florida for a grand opening (as some people did), but I am definitely a Wawa recidivist, and I have even more respect for all of the nice things they do for their associates and their community.
It’s the Wawa Way. And it’s my way, too.
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